Good writing is good thinking, but how the hell do you teach someone how to think? So, what's the greater challenge: writing, or teaching writing? In my case, they're both a challenge -- and I live for a good challenge. Bring it on! -- Paul Chimera

"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

My Proudest Achievement? Simple: My Book.

In 2006, after about a year's research and writing, I self-published my first book, Nuts, Bolts & Anecdotes: Journalists Discuss Interviewing & Note Taking in Their Own Words. It's subtitled, A Handbook for Journalists and Students of Journalism and Media Writing.

I'm proud to note that the 170-page paperback was successfully peer-reviewed by the English faculty at Daemen College in Amherst, New York (near Buffalo), where I teach media-writing courses and serve as faculty advisor to the student newspaper.

Nuts, Bolts & Anecdotes was a labor of love. It's always fascinated me how different journalists go about the "mechanics" -- the before the story efforts -- involved in gathering information. It's a part of journalism the public seldom thinks, or even cares, about -- yet it's so crucial to good reporting.

I've written countless news stories, feature stories, sell sheets, brochures, radio & TV commercials, websites, newsletters and more, but writing my book has been the highlight of my career to date. It's my magnum opus, even if it wasn't exactly a best-seller. A not very good snap shot of it appears above.

Please see the rest of my site for a wide range of writing samples -- from the light-hearted to the rather serious, from the ridiculous to the sublime! All-around, I think it's pretty good stuff. Hope you agree.

A Good Writer Can Write About (Almost) Everything.

Prospective clients occasionally ask, "Do you have experience writing about (fill in the blank)?"

The answer, sometimes, is "Yes," but usually, "No, not in your precise field -- but don't let that come between us!"

First off, it's unlikely (although possible) a client is going to find a copy writer who happens to have experience in the exact field or area of specialization they're talking about. But a good, experienced writer can write effectively on virtually any topic. What's more, it's often an advantage for the writer not to be especially experienced in a certain area, because the objectivity he brings to the task at hand may prove helpful -- something someone too close to the subject simply may not possess.

In my case, I've written about such disparate subjects as elevators and Italian sub rolls; cleaning agents for scrubbing 18-wheelers to monitors that check critical-care patients' vital signs.

But I'm NOT a "technical writer." Sure, I can comfortably take (most) technical subjects and translate them into plain English for a lay audience. But if you're looking for someone who's conversant in ohms and amps and can navigate effortlessly through the architecture of a printed circuit board, you're probably looking for someone with an associate's degree in electrical engineering who also happens to be a passable wordsmith.

That's not me. I'm a wordsmith, all right, but I'm not a "techy." Just wanted to be clear on that.

My strengths? I'm both a journalist and marketing writer (copy writer). My writing is creative, interesting and clear. And I have a reputation for turning work around extremely quickly -- never, ever missing a deadline in more than 40 years in the business. Sprinkle in very competitive pricing and you've got a recipe for success -- yours and mine. Let's eat!

(Below, you'll find a variety of writing samples -- from poems to magazine articles. I don't have things like brochures in a form where they can be uploaded onto this site, but hard copies of such materials can be snail-mailed to you, if you'd like. Thanks for checking out my All-Around Writer site!)